Department for Transport

Railways: Freight

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce roadside emissions from large heavy goods vehicles by making greater use of electric rail haulage in the next 15 years.

baroness sugg: The Government’s Rail Freight Strategy recognises the environmental benefits of shifting freight from road to rail, and the Strategy sets out a vision for how rail can increase its share of the freight market. The Government supports modal shift through funding improvements to the rail network for freight, investing £235m in Control Period 5 (2014-2019). The Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) includes funding for continued infrastructure investment for both passenger and freight operators. The Government has set out an ambition to decarbonise the railway by phasing out all diesel-only trains by 2040, and the rail industry is due to respond to this challenge shortly. In support of the Government’s ambition, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) announced in October 2018 that it is making funding available to facilitate research and innovation.

Department for Education

Arts: Apprentices

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts there have been in the creative industries since April 2017.

lord agnew of oulton: There is no definition of apprenticeships that are in the creative industries.The table below shows apprenticeship starts in the Arts, Media and Publishing sector subject area, along with further subject area breakdowns since April 2017, and includes starts up to the provisional full 2017/18 academic year.Apprenticeship starts since April 2017 in the Arts, Media and Publishing sector subject area Apprenticeship starts since April 2017 (reported to date)Total starts in Arts, Media and Publishing sector subject area1,080of which Crafts, Creative Arts and Design440of which Media and Communication630of which Performing Arts-of which Publishing and Information Services20 Notes1) Data is based on full final year figures for the 2016/17 academic year and provisional full 2017/18 academic year figures (August 2018 to July 2018). Starts for 2016/17 only include those for April to July 2017.2) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. ‘-’ indicates a value of less than 5 starts.3) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record4) This data is published here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750454/Monthly-apprenticeship-starts_SSA-Fwk-Std_October-2018.xlsx.

Foreign Students: France

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are making for UK citizens to be able to study in France after the UK has left the European Union; and what advice, if any, they provide to those who wish to do so.

viscount younger of leckie: We have made clear in the recent political agreement (published on 14 November) that the UK remains committed to continued cooperation with the EU on education. In the attached government white paper, ‘The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union[1]’, we also set out our desire to facilitate mobility for students and young people, enabling them to continue to benefit from world leading universities and the cultural experiences the UK and EU Member States – including France – have to offer.With the caveat that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”, in principle the UK will continue to benefit from all EU programmes, including Erasmus+, until the end of the current budget plan, and applications should continue as normal. The UK is also open to exploring participation in the successor scheme to the current Erasmus+ Programme. We welcome the attached proposals for the 2021-2027 successor scheme to Erasmus+ (published on 30 May), and are considering these carefully; we will continue to participate in discussions on these proposals while we remain in the EU. Ultimately, UK participation in the successor programme is a matter for negotiations on our future relationship with the EU.[1] The white paper can be found via this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/725288/The_future_relationship_between_the_United_Kingdom_and_the_European_Union.pdf.



HL11572_The_future_relationship_between_UK_and_EU
(PDF Document, 748.31 KB)




HL11572_Proposal_to_Establish_Erasmus
(PDF Document, 1.48 MB)

Academies

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many state funded primary and secondary schools in England are (1) academies, and (2) not academies.

lord agnew of oulton: The number of state funded primary and secondary schools in England as at 20 November 2018 is given below:State funded schools in England: Primary[1],[2]Secondary[1][2][3]Academy[4]5,2542,521Not Academy[5]11,517872Total16,7713,393Source: Get Information about Schools, the register of schools and colleges in England.  [1] Includes middle schools as deemed. [2] Excludes special schools, alternative provision schools and pupil referral units, which do not have a phase of education. [3] Includes all through schools. [4] Includes academies, Free Schools and University Technical Colleges. [5] Includes Community schools, Foundation schools, Voluntary Aided schools and Voluntary Controlled schools.

Schools: Curriculum

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what should be included in a balanced curriculum in (1) primary schools, and (2) secondary schools.

lord agnew of oulton: All primary and secondary state funded schools are required by legislation and via academy funding agreements, to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which must promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development; and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The quality of a school’s curriculum is considered as part of Ofsted’s inspections. Ofsted is currently reviewing its inspection arrangements, including its coverage of curriculum, and intends to consult on proposals for new inspection arrangements in January 2019.

Schools: Security

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 5 November (HL1078), when they anticipate the public consultation on revised school security guidance to commence; and whether the revised guidance will specifically address the issue of school premises coming under attack.

lord agnew of oulton: The department published its draft school security guidance and launched a public consultation on 26 November 2018 which will run until 18 February 2019. Both documents are attached.The draft guidance sets out the importance of having policies in place and plans to identify, manage and respond to a range of security incidents, including preparing for an attack on school premises. 



HL11639_School_security_non-statutory_guidance
(PDF Document, 306.78 KB)




HL11639_School_security_government_consultation
(PDF Document, 260.56 KB)

Special Educational Needs: Finance

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Isos Partnership interim research for the Local Government Association which shows that councils face a minimum projected shortfall of £536 million in the support they provide for children with special educational needs and disabilities in England by 2018–19.

lord agnew of oulton: Nationally, funding for children with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen by £1 billion since 2013 to 2014, to just under £6 billion in 2018 to 2019, and will rise to over £6 billion in 2019 to 2020.We are aware of local authorities reporting concerns about the costs of supporting children with SEND. We are monitoring local authority spending decisions in this area and are keeping under review the overall amount of funding for this support.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Advertising

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact a ban on gambling advertising on television would have on the number of problem gamblers in the UK; if so, what effect they estimate such a ban would have on that number; and what studies, if any, they have carried out to make such an estimate.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government considered the evidence on gambling advertising as part of the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures. The review found that although the number of gambling adverts on TV rose from 2007, reported rates of problem gambling remained below 1% during this period. The most recent survey estimated the number of adult problem gamblers in Great Britain as approximately 340,000, 0.7% of the adult population. A major research survey concluded that the impact of advertising on problem gambling prevalence is likely to be relatively small, but identified areas for further research. There are already strict rules on the tone, content and placement of gambling adverts, and while the Review did not conclude there was a case for a ban, it set out measures to strengthen protections further. Further research has been commissioned by GambleAware into the impact of gambling advertising on children, young people and those vulnerable to harm. This is due to be completed next year. We will keep these issues under review including examining new evidence as it emerges.

Smart Devices: Children

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take in regard to location-tracking smartwatches worn by children which are not secure and which are easy to hack.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action to ban the sale of child-tracking smartwatches following research which has found that devices neither encrypt the data used nor secure each child’s account.

lord ashton of hyde: We take the protection of personal data very seriously, particularly when it relates to children and young people. Organisations that process personal data collected by smartwatches must comply with the the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. The GDPR imposes strict obligations on organisations to process people’s data fairly and lawfully and to ensure that any data collected is held securely. Organisations which fail to comply may be subject to enforcement action by the Information Commissioner’s Office. We do not intend to ban the sale of smartwatches, but we have issued a Code of Practice for organisations involved in the development, manufacturing and retail of products linked to the ‘Internet of Things’ to ensure that products are designed securely and keep consumers safe. In parallel, we have published consumer guidance to raise public awareness about setting-up, managing and improving the security of their consumer devices. The code of practice and the guidance for consumers can be viewed at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secure-by-design/code-of-practice-for-consumer-iot-security https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secure-by-design/consumer-guidance-for-smart-devices-in-the-home

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Overseas Companies: Netherlands

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are making for UK citizens to be able to open businesses in the Netherlands after the UK has left the European Union; and what advice, if any, they provide to those who wish to do so.

lord henley: The UK and EU negotiating teams have reached agreement that common rules will remain in place during an implementation period that will start on 29 March 2019 and last until 31 December 2020. During this implementation period UK citizens will be able to open businesses in the Netherlands as they do now. As stated in the Prime Minister’s speech before the House of Commons on 15 November, the intention is for the UK and EU to secure a deal to ensure a close ongoing relationship on services and investment after the implementation period. The Government has published advice on a “no deal” scenario through a number of technical notices, which citizens may wish to refer to.

Post Offices

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of post offices in helping to maintain the community value of retail outlets in town and city centres, particularly in seaside and coastal areas.

lord henley: The Government values and recognises the important role that the Post Office plays in communities across the UK. This is why we committed in our 2017 Manifesto to safeguarding the Post Office network and protect existing rural services.In 2016 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy commissioned independent research to understand and quantify the value that people and businesses place on the Post Office network. The study (The Social Value of the Post Office Network by YouGov and London Economics) found the estimated social value of the Post Office network to be over £4 billion. The importance of branches to local communities is further supported by Association of Convenience Stores research (The Local Shop Report 2018) that found that the Post Office is recognised as having the ‘most positive impact on a local area’ and is the ‘third most wanted service’.

Copyright: EU Law

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the inclusion in the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market provisions to ensure that creators receive fair remuneration for the use of their works.

lord henley: The Government has considered the provisions on fair remuneration in the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which is still under negotiation. We support the principle that creators should be fairly rewarded for their work, but also want to ensure that these measures do not undermine incentives to invest in the creation of new content.

Royalties

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit on the reciprocal relationships between the UK and the EU that enable Collective Management Organisations to collect royalties from EU countries and distribute to creators in the UK.

lord henley: The Government has considered this issue in the context of our work on the UK’s exit from the EU. It has concluded that the reciprocal arrangements between UK Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) and EU CMOs to collect royalties from EU countries and distribute to creators in the UK are private commercial agreements which are expected to continue after the UK has exited the European Union.

Energy: Housing

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives they are providing to encourage home owners to retrofit energy saving installations in their homes to lower carbon emissions.

lord henley: In the Clean Growth Strategy, we set out our aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2035, where practical, cost effective and affordable. To do this we have:Called for evidence on Building a Market for Energy Efficiency, particularly focusing on measures to improve the energy performance of owner-occupied homes. Following an evaluation of the responses, we will publish an action plan setting out additional, market-based measures to encourage homeowners to take up energy efficiency.Launched six local demonstration projects, across the country, which will address the non-financial barriers to deeper retrofit, such as supply chain fragmentation and the high hassle costs of installing measures.Launched a new digitally led Simple Energy Advice. The service provides impartial and tailored advice on how homeowners can reduce energy bills and make their homes warmer.Launched a new quality mark for home energy improvements which will help provide consumers with greater confidence in the quality of installation measures.Announced that we would extend support for home energy efficiency out to 2028 at least at the current level of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding. ECO is funded at £640 million per annum (2017 prices, rising with inflation), and we are taking steps to focus that scheme on those in fuel poverty.